She may have been thousands of miles away from Walsall at the time – in South Africa – but Specialist Paediatric Dietitian Mikayla Profe-Fuchsloch was still able to get a real feel for the place thanks to a skype interview.
“I really wanted to work for the NHS and in my home country while the training is available there aren’t too many opportunities so I knew I needed to look elsewhere to realise this ambition,” Mikayla explained.
“Due to the timings, my work commitments and the expense involved it wasn’t possible for me to come to Walsall to be interviewed for the role so I asked if we could skype as the next best thing. It went really well actually and although we were so far away from each other it was a good interview with the Head of Dietetics.
“After a while you kind of forget you’re having a video chat and I was really interested to hear all about Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and how the role would work.”
Head of Dietetics at Walsall Healthcare, Cat Gallimore, said: “It can be difficult to recruit to therapies roles, this is a national issue, and anything we can do to maximise opportunities we’re willing to try.
“As Mikayla has described, we made the most of the skype interview and there was plenty of enthusiasm on both sides which made it an effective communication channel for both of us. It’s definitely something we would try again in future.”
Mikayla, aged 26, is settling well in the UK with husband Stephan, a geologist after leaving Johannesburg in January. She started working for the trust in February this year.
“I love my work which ranges from supporting children with swallowing difficulties – dysphagia – to those with complex needs and disabilities,” she said.
“I have found Walsall people to be very friendly although there have been a couple of interesting discussions around language. In South Africa we have Weetbix not Weetabix and I’d never heard of a sandwich bap before. But it all helps to break the ice with the families we support!
“I am enjoying my role as I feel listened to; colleagues are interested in what I have to say and my ideas.”